Paint brush attachment



Oct. 10, 1939.

E. B. ARCHER PAINT BRUSH ATTACHMENT Filed March 25, 1939 INVENTOR ERL/NGB. ARCHER ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 14Claims.

The present invention relates to a paint brush attachment, and moreparticularly to an attachment for paint brushes which facilitatespainting a surface contiguous to another surface Without getting painton said other surface Where it is not desired.

There are many situations Where a surface to be painted lies contiguousto another surface where the paint is not desired. Typical of suchsituations may be mentioned the painting of sash where the paint shouldnot get on the glass; the painting of interior trim such as casings,base boards, moldings, etc., where the paint should be kept from walls,floors, etc.; and in two-tone painting where the paint of one colorshould not lap over onto the surface painted with the other color.Although an experienced painter who has developed a good deal of skillin the use of a paint brush may be able by the exercise of great care toproduce satisfactory results in such situations, it is a fact of commonknowledge and observation that window panes, floors and walls adjacentto trim, hardware such as escutcheon plates, hinge butts, etc., areusually smeared with paint adjacent to the surfaces that have beenfreshly painted. Many attempts have been made to provide some means foravoiding this difficulty, and to shorten the time required even byexperienced painters to paint such surfaces, and in particular to assistinexperienced painters to produce satisfactory results under thesecircumstances. None of these attempts, so far as I am aware, has beensatisfactory, and so far as I know there is no device on the marketwhich satisfactorily fulfills the demands of the trade and public for apaint brush attachment adapted to conne the paint to the surface beingpainted.

I have invented a paint brush attachment which can readily be attachedto the handle of a 4o paint brush and which enables even an unskilledperson quickly and accurately to paint a surface without getting paintonto adjacent surfaces Where it is not desired. The brush attachmentembodying my invention, moreover, is satisfactory to skilled paintersand enables them to do faster work without sacrifice in the workmanshipand quality thereof.

It is an object of my invention to provide a paint brush attachmentwhich facilitates painting a surface without getting paint on adjacentsurfaces where it is not desired.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a paint brushattachment having a guard adapted tolie adjacent to the ends of thebristles in L operative position and having manually operable means tomove the guard to a position away from the bristles so that the user maydip the brush into a supply of paint without getting it on the guard.

Another object of my invention is the provision 5 of a paint brushattachment having a guard angularly positioned with respect to thebristles and having its periphery adjacent to the ends of the bristles.

My invention also contemplates the provision l0 of a guard discrotatably and slidably mounted on a paint brush handle with theperiphery of the disc adjacent to the ends of the bristles but capableof yeldingly retracting to permit variation in pressure on the bristlesin use. 15

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description of an illustrative embodimentthereof, taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 depicts a side elevation of an illustrative 20 embodiment of myinvention, partly in section, shown attached to a paint brush;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the device shown in Fig.

1, certain parts being omitted and broken away for the sake of clarity;25

Fig. 3 illustrates a sectional View taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;and

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of a modified form of clamp for securing theattachment to a paint brush handle. 30

Broadly speaking, my invention comprises an attachment having meansadapted to be secured to a paint brush handle and including a guardwhich lies, in operative position, adjacent to the ends of the bristles.gularly related to the bristles in its operative position. In order topermit the painter to vary the pressure on the bristles during apainting stroke,

I prefer to mount the guard in a slot and provide resilient meansyieldingly holding the guard re 40 mote from the means which secures theattach` ment to the handle of the brush. The guard may advantageously bein the form of a rotatably mounted disc to facilitate moving it alongthe line separating the surface to be painted from the sur- 45 face itis desired to protect against the paint. In using the attachment it isdesirable to keep the face of the guard opposite the bristles free frompaint, and to enable the user to dip the brush into a supply of paintwithout getting paint on the 50 guard, I have provided a mounting forthe guard which permits it to be moved away from the bristles. I preferto use manually operable means conveniently mounted for engagement by adigit of the hand holding the brush to move the guard 55` The guard ispreferably an- 35Y from its operative position adjacent to the bristlesto a position remote therefrom.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, I have depicted apreferred embodiment of my invention attached to a conventional paintbrush having a handle I, bristles 2 set in rubber or the like andsecured to the handle I by a metal sleeve 3. In the specification andclaims the handle is considered to include the metal sleeve 3, unlessotherwise stated. The attachment is preferably removably secured to thehandle I when the brush is being used for painting a surface contiguousto another surface where the paint is not desired. Means such as a metalstamping d having an arcuate end 5 and a latch end 6, as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 3, forms a convenient and simple clamp for removablyholding the attachment to the conventional type of paint brush handle.An alternative form of clamp is shown in Fig. 4 where the stamping 4acomprises an arcuate portion 5a and a spring arm 5a. extending generallyparallel to the main body of the stamping so that the handle I may beclamped between the arms 4U. and 6a. In some instances, I may dispensewith the parts 5 or 5a and 6 or 6a, respectively, and fasten thestamping 4 to the handle by a bolt, rivet, or any other desired means.

The stamping B is illustrated as having an integral projection 'Iextending forwardly and upwardly from the plane of the handle. Arelatively heavy coil spring Il is secured at one end to the projection1, for example, by being screwed onto the same. A projection 9 extendingrearwardly and downwardly from a plate I9 is secured in similar mannerin the other end of spring 8. It will be understood, of course, that aleaf spring could be used in place of coil spring 3, or that thestamping 4 and plate I5 could be made of a single piece of metal ofsuitable resiliency to avoid taking a permanent set when flexed in amanner more fully set forth hereinafter. Generally speaking, however, Iprefer to use a relatively heavy coil spring as illustrated in thedrawing, this structure permitting a guard I I mounted on plate I0 tohave a certain degree of universal movement and thereby enabling it tofollow the bristles more closely during painting strokes, The connectionbetween the guard i l and the stamping 4 should be sufficiently stiff togive good support to the guard I l but capable of flexingtoward thebristles during a painting stroke to enable the painter to cover thesurface being painted right up to the line separating it from theadjacent surface being protected by the guard II.

The guard II may be rigidly secured to plate I3 or even be integraltherewith, and should extend substantially to the end of the bristles asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. I have found it to be distinctly advantageous inuse to have the guard angularly related to the bristles 2 as illustratedin Fig. 1. The angle between the guard and the bristles should be atleast Several degrees, for

example, about 10 to 15 degrees. This arrangement not only permits theperiphery of the guard to lie closely adjacent to the ends of thebristles without substantially disturbing their natural position, butalso keeps the major portion of the guard out of contact with thebristles. This is of particular advantage Where the guard I I is in theform of a disc rotatably mounted to the plate IIJ by a short shaft I2having heads I3 and I4 retaining the parts in assembled relation, asillustrated` in Figs. 1 and 2, and which is the preferred structure forgeneral application. The angular relation of the guard to the bristlessubstantially prevents the transfer of paint from the brush to thecenter of the disc where it would hamper free rotation of the disc Il.

In order to permit the painter to vary the pressure on the bristlesduring painting strokes, I prefer to provide plate I0 with a slot I5 inwhich shaft I2 is free to slide. Resilient means such as the relativelylight coil spring I5 yieldingly holds the guard disc I I in a positionremote from the stamping 4 but permits motion toward the same aspressure on the bristles is increased. The spring I6 may conveniently besecured at one end to the head I3 of shaft I2 and at the other end to astruck up lug I'I on the plate IG.

When the brush is to be dipped into a supply of paint, it is preferredto move the guard II away from its operative position adjacent to thebristles in order to avoid getting paint thereon. A convenient means foraccomplishing this purpose comprises a pair of upstanding arms I8integral with the stamping 4 between which a lever I9 is pivotallymounted. The rearwardly extending arm 20 of the lever functions as afinger piece in convenient position for engagement by a digit of thehand of the painter in which the brush is held. The forwardly extendingarm of the lever I9 is joined with the plate I0 or the spring 8, forexample, by a flexible linkage 2i. It will be apparent that bydepressing finger piece 2 the guard II will be moved to a position awayfrom the bristles, somewhat as indicated in the dotted lines of Fig. 1.

The operation of my brush attachment will be apparent from the foregoingdescription of the structure. When the painter is about to paint a sash,interior trim, or other surface lying contiguous to a surface whichshould not be covered with the paint, the attachment may quickly andeasily be clamped to the handle of the brush and adjusted longitudinallyso that the periphery of the guard II lies near the end of the bristlesas shown in the drawing. By depressing finger piece 2U, the guard II isswung away from the bristles to the dotted line position of Fig. 1thereby permitting the painter to dip the ends of the bristles into asupply of paint without getting the guard into the paint. As soon as thenger piece is released the guard is returned to operative position byspring 8. The brush is then applied to the work so that the guard I Ilies between the bristles and the surface it is desired to protect fromthe paint. The periphery of the guard disc I I is readily guided alongthe line separating the surface to be painted from the surface to beprotected, and it effectively confines the bristles to the surface beingpainted.

Although the foregoing description has been directed to a specificembodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood thatmodifications and variations in the structure and arrangements of partsare contemplated as coming within the scope thereof. Moreover, certainelements of the specific novel combination illustrated in the drawingmay, under certain circumstances, be dispensed with and still provide asatisfactory and efficient guard attachment for paint brushes. Suchcombinations of fewer elements will be apparent to one skilled in theart from the foregoing description and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to a paintbrush handle, a guard movably mounted on said means yieldingly held inoperative position adjacent to the ends of the bristles, and manuallyoperable means for vzo moving said guard away from said bristles whenthe brush is to be dipped into a supply of paint.

2. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to a paintbrush handle, a plate movably mounted on said means, a guard discrotatably mounted on said plate and adapted to be held in operativeposition with the periphery thereof adjacent to the ends of thebristles, and manually operable means for moving said plate and guarddisc away from the bristles when the brush is to be dipped into a supplyof paint.

3. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to a paintbrush handle, a plate movably mounted on said means, a guard discrotatably and slidably mounted on said plate and adapted to be held inoperative position with the periphery thereof adjacent to the ends ofthe bristles, resilient means yieldingly holding the guard disc in thisposition but permitting sliding movement toward said first named means,and manually operable means for moving said plate and guard disc awayfrom the bristles when the brush is to be dipped into a supply of paint.

4. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to a paintbrush handle, a flexible member mounted at one `end on said means, aguard secured to the other end of said iiexible member adaptedyieldingly to be held thereby adjacent to the ends of the bristles ofthe brush, and manually operable means mounted on said iirst named meansadapted to bend the flexible member and move the guard away from thebristles.

5. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to a paintbrush handle, a flexible member mounted at one end on said means, aplate secured to the other end of said iiexible member, a guard discrotatably mounted on said plate adapted to be yieldingly held by saidiiexible member With its periphery adjacent to the ends of the bristlesof the brush, and manually operable means mounted on said first namedmeans adapted to bend the flexible member and move the guard disc awayfrom the bristles.

6. A brush attachment comprising meansadapted to be secured to a paintbrush handle, a flexible member mounted at one end on said means, aplate secured to the other end of said flexible member, a guard discrotatably and slidably mounted on said plate and adapted to be held bysaid exible member with its periphery adjacent to the ends of thebristles of the brush, resilient means yieldingly holding said disc in aposition remote from said rst named means but permitting motion towardthe same, and means including a lever mounted on said iirst named meansadapted to bend the exible member and move the guard disc away from thebristles.

7. A brush attachment comprising a metal stamping having means forremovably clamping it to the handle of a paint brush, a flexible membersecured at one end to said stamping, a plate secured to the other end ofsaid flexible member and having a slot therein, a guard disc rotatablyand slidably mounted in said slot, resilient means yieldingly holdingsaid disc at the end of the slot remote from said stamping, and meansincluding a lever mounted on said stamping adapted to bend the flexiblemember and move the guard disc relative to the stamping.

8. A brush attachment comprising a metal stamping having means forremovably clamping it to the handle of a paint brush, a` flexible membersecured at one end to said stamping, a plate secured to theother end ofsaid iiexible member, and a guard disc rotatably mounted on said plate;said disc in operative position forming an angle of several degrees Withthe plane of that portion of the stamping which is adapted to lieagainst the handle.

9. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured on a paintbrush handle, means movably mounted on said iirst named means, a guarddisc rotatably mounted on said second named means, said guard disc whenthe attachment is secured on a brush being held in operative positionadjacent to the ends of the bristles thereof and at an angle of severaldegrees with respect thereto.

10. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to a paintbrush handle, and a guard disc rotatably mounted on said means, saidguard disc when the attachment is secured on a brush being held inoperative position adjacent to the ends of the bristles thereof and atan angle of several degrees with respect thereto.

l1. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to thehandle of a paint brush, means having a slot movably mounted on said rstnamed means, a guard disc rotatably and slidably mounted in the slot ofsaid second named means, and resilient means yieldingly holding saiddisc at the end of the slot remote from said rst named means.

l2. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to thehandle of a paint brush, said means having a slot therein, a guard discrotatably and slidably mounted in said slot, and resilient meansyieldingly holding said disc at the end of the slot remote from theplace of attachment to the handle.

13. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to thehandle oi a paint brush, said means having a slot therein, a guardslidably mounted in said slot, and resilient means yieldingly holdingsaid disc at the end of the slot remote from the place of attachment tothe handle.

14. A brush attachment comprising means adapted to be secured to thehandle of a paint brush, a guard, means movably joining said guard tosaid first named means, means for holding said guard in operativeposition adjacent to the ends of the bristles of the brush, and meansfor moving the guard to an inoperative position remote from thebristles.

ERLING B. ARCHER.

